American Film Institute

Inside Man (Widescreen Edition)

Academy Award winner Denzel Washington Academy Award nominee Clive Owen and Academy Award winner Jodie Foster star in this intense and explosive crime thriller. The perfect bank robbery quickly spirals into an unstable and deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a criminal mastermind (Owen) a determined detective (Washington) and a power broker with a hidden agenda (Foster). As the minutes tick by and the situation becomes increasingly tense one wrong move could mean disaster for any one of them. From acclaimed director Spike Lee comes the edge-of-your-seat action-packed thriller that The Wall Street Journal calls "a heist film that s right on the money."System Requirements:Running Time: 129 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 025192884726 Manufacturer No: 61028847

Spike Lee scored his biggest hit to date with Inside Man, an unconventional thriller with fascinating details in the margins of its convoluted plot. The screenplay (by first-timer Russell Gerwitz) could've used a few more rewrites; it moves at a brisk pace but in hindsight a lot of it doesn't make sense. That makes Inside Man more fun to watch than to think about afterwards (when you discover plot holes big enough to drive a truck through), but it's curiously involving, especially as NYPD Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) struggles to outsmart a high-stakes bank robber (Clive Owen) who, along with a well-trained crew of accomplices, has seized control of a Wall Street bank, turning what initially looks like a hostage crisis into a personal crusade to expose some mysterious evil secrets. As you might expect from the director of Do the Right Thing, Lee seizes several satisfying opportunities to examine post-9/11 issues of racial prejudice and domestic terrorism, and the mysterious "problem solver" Madeline White (Jodie Foster), as eerily sinister as she is vaguely defined, is worthy of her own movie. With the benefit of his most stellar cast to date (including Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor), Lee seems more interested in character details than well-crafted suspense, but that doesn't stop Inside Man from being engrossing, subtly amusing, and quirky enough to qualify as a welcomed break from the formulaic thrillers that are Hollywood's bread and butter.--Jeff Shannon

Inside Man [HD DVD]

Spike Lee scored his biggest hit to date with Inside Man, an unconventional thriller with fascinating details in the margins of its convoluted plot. The screenplay (by first-timer Russell Gerwitz) could've used a few more rewrites; it moves at a brisk pace but in hindsight a lot of it doesn't make sense. That makes Inside Man more fun to watch than to think about afterwards (when you discover plot holes big enough to drive a truck through), but it's curiously involving, especially as NYPD Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) struggles to outsmart a high-stakes bank robber (Clive Owen) who, along with a well-trained crew of accomplices, has seized control of a Wall Street bank, turning what initially looks like a hostage crisis into a personal crusade to expose some mysterious evil secrets. As you might expect from the director of Do the Right Thing, Lee seizes several satisfying opportunities to examine post-9/11 issues of racial prejudice and domestic terrorism, and the mysterious "problem solver" Madeline White (Jodie Foster), as eerily sinister as she is vaguely defined, is worthy of her own movie. With the benefit of his most stellar cast to date (including Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor), Lee seems more interested in character details than well-crafted suspense, but that doesn't stop Inside Man from being engrossing, subtly amusing, and quirky enough to qualify as a welcomed break from the formulaic thrillers that are Hollywood's bread and butter. --Jeff Shannon

Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington, Academy Award® nominee Clive Owen and Academy Award® winner Jodie Foster star in this intense and explosive crime thriller. The perfect bank robbery quickly spirals into an unstable and deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a criminal mastermind (Owen), a determined detective (Washington), and a power broker with a hidden agenda (Foster). As the minutes tick by and the situation becomes increasingly tense, one wrong move could mean disaster for any one of them. From acclaimed director Spike Lee comes the edge-of-your-seat, action-packed thriller The Wall Street Journal calls "a heist film that's right on the money."

Book of Shadows - Blair Witch 2

This thoroughly second-rate follow-up to the groundbreaking (and highly profitable) horror flick The Blair Witch Project--produced by Blair Witch directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez--plays with the notions of reality and fantasy that surrounded the hype of the original movie, and attempts to throw in some scares along the way. A year after the release of the original film, a group of five Blair Witch aficionados--four out-of-towners led by one seriously unhinged "tour guide"--venture into the woods outside Burkittsville, Maryland, on a tour of the sites made famous by missing documentarians Heather, Mike, and Josh. After a drunken night of camping out in hopes of communing with the spirit of the Blair Witch, the five wake up to find that their seemingly innocent sleep may have been disturbed somehow. But what exactly happened? If you're expecting suspense of the first degree and a horrifying payoff similar to the one that climaxed the first film, you'll be sorely disappointed. After retreating to an old, run-down broom factory (get it? Broom factory? Blair Witch? Oh well...), the five go over their videotapes of the night in question to get some answers, and basically wind up screaming at each other for the remainder of the film, and shedding some blood along the way. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (of the highly acclaimed Paradise Lost and Brother's Keeper) proves that he should definitely stick to nonfiction filmmaking, and the entire cast is grating and unpleasant, aside from a scene-stealing turn by Kim Director as a goth chick with attitude to burn and a no-nonsense approach to this Blair Witch stuff. Strictly for hard-core Blair Witch fans only, and even then this sequel may prove to disappoint. --Mark Englehart

Inside Man (Full Screen Edition) (2006)

Spike Lee scored his biggest hit to date with Inside Man, an unconventional thriller with fascinating details in the margins of its convoluted plot. The screenplay (by first-timer Russell Gerwitz) could've used a few more rewrites; it moves at a brisk pace but in hindsight a lot of it doesn't make sense. That makes Inside Man more fun to watch than to think about afterwards (when you discover plot holes big enough to drive a truck through), but it's curiously involving, especially as NYPD Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) struggles to outsmart a high-stakes bank robber (Clive Owen) who, along with a well-trained crew of accomplices, has seized control of a Wall Street bank, turning what initially looks like a hostage crisis into a personal crusade to expose some mysterious evil secrets. As you might expect from the director of Do the Right Thing, Lee seizes several satisfying opportunities to examine post-9/11 issues of racial prejudice and domestic terrorism, and the mysterious "problem solver" Madeline White (Jodie Foster), as eerily sinister as she is vaguely defined, is worthy of her own movie. With the benefit of his most stellar cast to date (including Christopher Plummer, Willem Dafoe and Chiwetel Ejiofor), Lee seems more interested in character details than well-crafted suspense, but that doesn't stop Inside Man from being engrossing, subtly amusing, and quirky enough to qualify as a welcomed break from the formulaic thrillers that are Hollywood's bread and butter. --Jeff Shannon

Academy Award winner Denzel Washington Academy Award nominee Clive Owen and Academy Award winner Jodie Foster star in this intense and explosive crime thriller. The perfect bank robbery quickly spirals into an unstable and deadly game of cat-and-mouse between a criminal mastermind (Owen) a determined detective (Washington) and a power broker with a hidden agenda (Foster). As the minutes tick by and the situation becomes increasingly tense one wrong move could mean disaster for any one of them. From acclaimed director Spike Lee comes the edge-of-your-seat action-packed thriller that The Wall Street Journal calls "a heist film that s right on the money."System Requirements:Running Time: 129 MinutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 025193012524 Manufacturer No: 30125

Director's Label Series Boxed Set (Mark Romanek, Jonathan Glazer, Anton Corbijn, Stéphane Sednaoui)

The Director's Label Series is the premier showcase for the art of the music video. The previous boxed set featured the work of Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry, with each director contributing music videos, commercials, and documentary featurettes. The Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 2 features the work of video auteurs Mark Romanek, Stéphane Sednaoui, Anton Corbijn, and Jonathan Glazer. There is a bounty of superb material here, with watershed videos from some of the biggest acts of the past twenty years (Metallica, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna) as well as from lesser-knowns (Eels, Mirwais, David Sylvian, Herbert Gronemeyer). Beyond the videos, extras include commercials, beautifully-produced booklets for each director, and an exhaustive selection of documentary shorts. When future generations debate the artistic merit of the music video, this is where they'll start.

A Complete Guide to The Director's Label Series

Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 1	Vol 1: The Work of Spike Jonze	Vol 2: The Work of Chris Cunningham
Vol 3: The Work of Michel Gondry	Vol 4: The Work of Mark Romanek	Vol 5: The Work of Jonathan Glazer
Vol 6: The Work of Anton Corbijn	Vol 7: The Work of Stéphane Sednaoui	Other Music Videos and Documentaries

Interviews with the Directors

Anton Corbijn

Stéphane Sednaoui

Mark Romanek

DVDs included in The Director's Label Boxed Set Vol. 2

Vol. 4: Work of Director Mark Romanek

Artists who've worked with him describe Mark Romanek as "meticulous" and "demanding." Yet, the biggest names in the business have clamored to work with the mercurial helmer, because they know he'll make them look good: Madonna ("Rain"), No Doubt ("Hella Good"), etc. Along the way, the Grammy winner has been behind some of the world's most famous--and infamous--videos. On the groundbreaking side, there's Lenny Kravitz's exhilarating "Are You Gonna Go My Way," which made the musician a star in one fell swoop. On the controversial side, there's Fiona Apple's teasing "Criminal," Nine Inch Nails' macabre "Closer," and Jay-Z's apocalyptic "99 Problems"--the latter two in director's cut editions. In another class entirely, is Romanek's heartbreaking video for Johnny Cash's "Hurt." More than a promo, it's an elegy for a legend. Despite an interview with Robin Williams, this collection otherwise overlooks Romanek's features, One Hour Photo and Static.

Vol. 5: Work of Director Jonathan Glazer

British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer began by directing pop promos and advertisements before transitioning into features. His video style is crisp and clean, yet vaguely menacing. There's always more going on than meets the eye--a quality carried over into his films. Like Kubrick, he's partial to Steadicams and empty hallways. Massive Attack's "Karmacoma" even features twins straight from The Shining, while Blur's "The Universal" cops from A Clockwork Orange, so he's not exactly shying away from the influence. Glazer's commercial style, on the other hand, is more wide-ranging, less easily identifiable. His ambitious ads for Guinness, Levi's, etc. bring out his playful side in a way the videos do not. Interestingly, oddball actor Denis Lavant (Beau Travail) shows up twice, in the creepy clip for UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights" and the "Last Orders" spot for Stella Artois. This Director's Series edition also features excerpts from Sexy Beast and Birth.

Vol. 6: Work of Director Anton Corbijn

Known as much for his photography as his videos, Anton Corbijn has produced some of rock's most memorable images. Long associated with Depeche Mode and U2 (that's his iconic shot on the cover of Joshua Tree), the Dutch director has worked with a diverse array of acts, including Joy Division ("Atmosphere"), Nirvana ("Heart-Shaped Box"), and Metallica ("Hero of the Day"). This collection captures over 20 years of wit and style, with influences ranging from surrealism, expressionism, and elegant European auteurs like Fritz Lang, Wim Wenders, and Ingmar Bergman (especially The Seventh Seal). Like many of the best video makers, Corbijn takes his cues more from the music and personality of the artists than the lyrics. The striking video for David Sylvian's "Red Guitar," for instance, features the singer, an old man, and a young boy--no red guitars anywhere. That about sums up Corbijn: often slick, occasionally bizarre--always unpredictable.

Vol. 7: Work of Director Stéphane Sednaoui

According to Bono, "He's much cooler than anyone in his videos." That's high praise indeed as French filmmaker/photographer Stéphane Sednaoui has conjured up many of music's hippest clips. Glitter, mirror balls, metallic paint--if it glows, shines, or sparkles, you can bet he's incorporated it into one of his projects. Sednaoui's background in fashion permeates every production, so it's no wonder he's worked with such stylish performers as Bjork and Garbage's Shirley Manson. (Like Anton Corbijn, celebrity portraiture is also part of his purview.) Fortunately, his are more than pretty pictures, but concentrated capsules of mood, as in his melancholy meditations for Massive Attack ("Sly") and Tricky ("Pumpkin"), and movement, as in his ecstatic explorations for the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Give It Away"), U2 ("Mysterious Ways"), and Bjork ("Big Time Sensuality"). And yes, trivia buffs, that's Sofia Coppola in the bad trip video for the Black Crowes' "Sometimes Salvation." --Kathleen C. Fennessy with Ryan Boudinot

In 2003, Palm Pictures joined with director's Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham to create The Directors Label, a groundbreaking series of DVD collections curating the work of todays most innovative filmmakers. Now, Palm is releasing Volume 2, promising to take the Director's Label to the next level with four exciting new DVDs with superb content featuring the biggest stars in music and film.

U2: Popmart Live from Mexico City

U2's PopMart Live from Mexico City is released on DVD for the first time on September 18th in two formats, a Special Limited Edition 2-DVD Deluxe Packaging version and a single disc, Standard version. Described as a sci-fi disco supermarket, the PopMart Tour opened in its "spiritual home", Las Vegas on April 25, 1997. All trash and kitsch, PopMart introduced a giant mirrorball lemon, a 100 foot cocktail stick - complete with olive, and the works of Lichtenstein, Warhol and Haring, to a live rock audience: a production experience never quite seen before. Filmed at the Foro Sol Autodromo in Mexico City on December 3, 1997, PopMart Live from Mexico City was directed by David Mallet and first released on video the following year. Both the video and audio have been digitally remastered and the DVD includes a brand new 5.1 surround mix in DTS and Dolby Digital of the concert.

Dinosaur Valley Girls (Mammoth Edition)

The discovery of a magic stone catapults Hollywood action hero Tony Markham backwards through time into a mysterious prehistoric land populated by fierce predatory dinosaurs...and nymphomatical cave vixens in a strangely modern animal-print underwire bikinis. Available in a racy director's cut or in a kid-safe family version.System Requirements:Running Time: 94 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR Rating: NR UPC: 891514001108 Manufacturer No: EPODV1108

Adrenalin Crew: 100% Illegal

Spawned from the hit pay-per-view special Introduction to Street Bike Insanity, Kenny Kelley's fearless Adrenalin Crew is here on DVD with a barrage of motorcycle and car stunts, pranks, and other offensive and illegal mayhem that will keep them in court for years! Named in Europe as "Jackass on wheels," this untamed group of riders create havoc on roads across the U.S.A., terrorizing everything in their path. The Director's Cut features more than 60% new footage including AC tattooing, new riders, girls, fireworks, fights, wrecks, angles, illegal stunts, skits, and cop interaction for your amusement.

Ballet Class Intermediate Level with Dmitri Roudnev

Book of Shadows - Blair Witch 2

This thoroughly second-rate follow-up to the groundbreaking (and highly profitable) horror flick The Blair Witch Project--produced by Blair Witch directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez--plays with the notions of reality and fantasy that surrounded the hype of the original movie, and attempts to throw in some scares along the way. A year after the release of the original film, a group of five Blair Witch aficionados--four out-of-towners led by one seriously unhinged "tour guide"--venture into the woods outside Burkittsville, Maryland, on a tour of the sites made famous by missing documentarians Heather, Mike, and Josh. After a drunken night of camping out in hopes of communing with the spirit of the Blair Witch, the five wake up to find that their seemingly innocent sleep may have been disturbed somehow. But what exactly happened? If you're expecting suspense of the first degree and a horrifying payoff similar to the one that climaxed the first film, you'll be sorely disappointed. After retreating to an old, run-down broom factory (get it? Broom factory? Blair Witch? Oh well...), the five go over their videotapes of the night in question to get some answers, and basically wind up screaming at each other for the remainder of the film, and shedding some blood along the way. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger (of the highly acclaimed Paradise Lost and Brother's Keeper) proves that he should definitely stick to nonfiction filmmaking, and the entire cast is grating and unpleasant, aside from a scene-stealing turn by Kim Director as a goth chick with attitude to burn and a no-nonsense approach to this Blair Witch stuff. Strictly for hard-core Blair Witch fans only, and even then this sequel may prove to disappoint. --Mark Englehart